Joseph Lindon Smith (Pawtucket, Rhode Island, 1863 - 1950, Dublin, New Hampshire)
Design for Isabella Stewart Gardner's Bookplate, 1893
Woodcut, 7.6 cm (3 in.) diameter of each circle
This woodcut print on white paper shows two identical sized circular elements side by side. A winged foot on a two-tiered pedestal is seen in the circle on the left. Above the wings, an inscription in Greek lettering encircles the periphery of this coin-like form. The circle on the right shows a central, large letter Y. The two upper branches of the Y support a crown consisting of a ring with five leaf-like elements protruding from it. “EX LIBRIS” is inscribed along the periphery of this circle at the top and “ISABELLA” is inscribed along the periphery at the circle’s bottom. The background of both forms is composed of prominent, dark, vertical ink marks. They imply distinct wood grain running from top to bottom. This dark background allows the unshaded images and lettering in the circles to appear white in contrast.
Macknight Room
Commentary
Before she acquired masterpieces and built a museum of art, Isabella Stewart Gardner collected books and manuscripts. She amassed a collection of over two thousand books—from paperbacks to volumes bound in vellum—and installed them in bookcases throughout her museum.
Following the tradition of other great book collectors, Isabella created her own bookplate. In 1890, Isabella commissioned the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907) to make a sculpture of the winged foot of Hermes, the Greek messenger god. Isabella was reportedly so fond of the foot that she asked the painter Joseph Lindon Smith (1863-1950) to draw it for her bookplate. The resulting design depicts two sides of a coin. One side has the winged foot of Hermes inscribed ‘messenger’ in Greek, and the other is inscribed EX LIBRIS ISABELLA ("From the Books of Isabella") with a crown over the letter ‘Y,’ the initial Isabella often used as shorthand to refer to herself.
Following the tradition of other great book collectors, Isabella created her own bookplate. In 1890, Isabella commissioned the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907) to make a sculpture of the winged foot of Hermes, the Greek messenger god. Isabella was reportedly so fond of the foot that she asked the painter Joseph Lindon Smith (1863-1950) to draw it for her bookplate. The resulting design depicts two sides of a coin. One side has the winged foot of Hermes inscribed ‘messenger’ in Greek, and the other is inscribed EX LIBRIS ISABELLA ("From the Books of Isabella") with a crown over the letter ‘Y,’ the initial Isabella often used as shorthand to refer to herself.